Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez celebrated his 31st birthday on Saturday, and Tuesday afternoon was an even more joyous occasion.
M¨¢rquez began his first Cactus League start -- his first time facing a Major League opponent since last July 14 -- by striking out the White Sox¡¯s Michael A. Taylor on three pitches. After dealing with an elbow injury for the better part of two years, M¨¢rquez worked his fastball up to an easy 98 mph while pitching two innings in the Rockies¡¯ 14-3 win at Salt River Fields.
The first inning was smooth, done in 13 pitches. The second was more of a challenge ¨C a leadoff walk and another with two out -- but no other damage. Two innings, two strikeouts, two walks made for a nice return to the mound for M¨¢rquez, and more reason for the Rockies to believe in their starting pitching.
¡°It felt so good out there,¡± M¨¢rquez said. ¡°I¡¯m happy to be back.
¡°Everything was working. My fastball was down. From the stretch, I felt I was a little quick, but I will find out [by studying the outing].¡±
An All-Star in 2021 and a key member of two postseason rotations before that, M¨¢rquez¡¯s health eluded him in ¡®23, and he ended up needing Tommy John surgery. He worked his way back last year, but after his lone start -- allowing three runs to go with three strikeouts in four innings in the Rockies¡¯ 8-5 victory over the Mets -- M¨¢rquez was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right elbow.
M¨¢rquez and the club decided to shut it down for the rest of 2024. Tuesday was the beginning of what all hope is a lengthier ¡®25.
Tuesday¡¯s occasion was happy, if not necessarily smooth for M¨¢rquez. A second-inning leadoff walk to Josh Rojas came on just four pitches. M¨¢rquez fell behind Lenyn Sosa, 3-1, en route to the six-pitch walk. But M¨¢rquez ended the frame with a pitch reminiscent of his most effective days -- a curveball that Austin Slater grounded to first base.
¡°A couple of them were good,¡± M¨¢rquez said.
Game time
Kris Bryant is willing to go through the daily work to keep his often troublesome back in shape if it leads to swings like his two-run homer off White Sox right-hander Jairo Iriarte in the fourth inning.
¡°I find early mornings are always going to be tough,¡± Bryant said. ¡°But by the time the game comes around -- which is more like the season is going to be like -- I feel like I¡¯m in a really good spot.¡±
The homer was a reminder of the type of threat a healthy Bryant can be. He has been limited to 159 games over his past three seasons with the Rockies because of injuries, mostly to his back, and his swing has lacked thunder when he has been able to play. But Tuesday¡¯s blast left his bat at 112 mph, according to Statcast.
Gomber loves the strike zone
After M¨¢rquez left the game, lefty Austin Gomber struck out three and held the White Sox to one hit over two innings in his first Cactus League outing. Gomber expects to be better as spring continues.
¡°It was good to get back out there,¡± Gomber said. ¡°I feel like my body has been just a touch slower than normal pace. But making pitches, throwing strikes, is what it¡¯s about at this point.¡±
Gomber completed his second inning in just 11 pitches.